Tatuus iMagazine

39 And there the big opportunity finally came? "It came in the middle of last year. After a chat with Gianfranco De Bellis, who introduced us to the new and very interesting Formula 4 programme, we decided to study a dedicated product for this car. We combined Öhlins technologies and components with parts entirely designed by our research and development department. We delivered a product capable of the quality and performance typical of an Öhlins shock absorber, with appropriate dimensions for a state‐of‐the‐art single‐seater car. The cost was in line with the targets required by Tatuus, so the supply deal was confirmed." There is a real expansion of scope going on within you company. "There has been in‐house production of Andreani components, such as motorcycle fork cartridges, for road and racing, for a long time. Due to a gentlemen agreement with Öhlins, our main supplier, we never started production of complete shock absorbers. But the Formula 4 program was interesting both to us and Öhlins. Having evaluated the project with the Swedish management, we decided by mutual agreement to go on with the project. We officially became manufacturers." Historically, Andreani Group has more experience in motorcycling, where it started its business. Has there been some type of carryover? "We have been involved in motorcycling for a long time, and we are dominating in some of the championships. However, cars have different logics and technologies. It is actually motorcycling world that carries over from cars, where solutions are more technologically advanced. The experience we are gaining in cars will contribute to the motorcycle business." The first season with a new car is always a journey of breaking in and discovering to gather data and insights. So far, how is your F4 adventure going? "I would say very well, even better than our expectations. Even though the product has some highly‐reliable and tested Öhlins components, it was still conceived from a blank sheet of paper in just a few months and produced in numbers far exceeding the initial plans. We started out to supply shock absorbers to a fleet of 150 cars in three years, but we have alread gone past that threshold in half the time. In terms of orders, it is an enormous success. In terms of on‐track feedback, we are almost surprised by the near lack of service and support requests from the teams. Sometimes we are the ones who have to remind customers that, for proper functioning and uniform performance, a rebuild is suggested every 5,000 kilometers!” Is there also a direct relationship with the teams and drivers in defining the set‐ups? “Actually we try to be very discreet. Car racing, unlike motorcycling where there is more openness, is very compartmentalized, and the teams prefer not to share the information they acquire. So we respect and fulfill that need. In terms of fine‐tuning, each team follows its own philosophy. If necessary, we are also on track to give support and advice, but you rarely get any requests. The F4 teams have a very high degree of professionalism."